Silversea Cruises named its newest ultra-luxury ship, the 596-guest Silver Moon, in an evening ceremony in Piraeus, the port near Athens, Greece.
Godmother of the 40,700-gross-ton ship is Gaia Gaja, of the renowned Italian Gaja Winery and whose wines were served at the gala dinner that followed.
Among those at the ceremony were Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Silversea Cruises.
"This ceremony is the very first new naming of a ship since, in our case, the pandemic started," Fain told attendees. "But it not only commemorates the particulars of this vessel, but it serves as a great symbol of the fact that cruising has returned for the traveling public.
"The tradition of naming a new vessel goes back thousands of years and symbolizes something that's very powerful," Fain continued. "But today it takes on a particular significance because today it symbolizes not only the birth of a new vessel but the rebirth of cruising as a tourism destination. The past 17 months have been stressful and frustrating in so many ways to so many of us, but today we can see that the world is opening up and cruising is leading the way and cruising from Greece is a wonderful place for us to be starting at."
Also attending the christening ceremony were Roberto Martinoli, president and CEO of Silversea Cruises; Jason Liberty, executive vice president and CFO of Royal Caribbean Group; Captain Chavdar Georgiev; Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of Fincantieri's merchant ships division; and Harry Theoharis, Greece's minister of tourism.
The Silver Moon was delivered Oct. 30 in Italy, and finally launched its inaugural season from Athens from June 18, operating a series of 10-day voyages in the Greek Isles.
"This is an extraordinary milestone in the history of our cruise line," Martinoli said. "We today christened Silver Moon as the ninth ship in our fleet, marking an evolution in 21st-century luxury travel. As the first ultra-luxury cruise ship to set sail this year, Silver Moon leads the way in the return of ultra-luxury cruising. She represents our industry's strength and resilience. Aboard the newest addition to our fleet, our guests will re-discover the world in unrivaled comfort and whispered luxury. I extend my gratitude to the Royal Caribbean Group, Fincantieri, Captain Georgiev and the ship's crew, as well as our teams ashore, for making this momentous occasion possible."
Constructed at the Fincantieri at its shipyard in Ancona, Italy, Silver Moon is an evolution of sister ship Silver Muse. The ship has re-imagined public spaces, butler service in all suite categories, and a nearly 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio.
The launch of Silver Moon also marks the debut of Silversea's new culinary program, Sea and Land Taste or S.A.L.T. Three new onboard venues form a hub of culinary discovery for guests. In S.A.L.T. Kitchen, S.A.L.T. Lab, and S.A.L.T. Bar, guests are invited to delve deeper into each region's cuisine and culture with regionally inspired dishes, drinks, and demonstrations. S.A.L.T. shore excursions let travelers experience the food and drink cultures of each destination firsthand.
The first of two ships in Silversea's fleet to have returned to service, Silver Moon is joined by the new 100-passenger ship Silver Origin now sailing new itineraries in the Galapagos Islands.
Silver Muse will begin sailing in Alaska from Seattle on July 29. Beginning July 30, Silver Shadow will operate Iceland circumnavigations out of Reykjavik.
Additional Silversea ships are expected to set sail in the near future and Silversea's third new ship since 2020, Silver Dawn, is scheduled to depart on its maiden voyage in November 2021.
Silver Moon is one of six Silversea ships - others include Silver Muse, Silver Origin, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, and Silver Explorer - to have recently earned Certification in Infection Prevention for the Maritime industry (CIP-M) from the classification society, DNV. These certifications highlight Silversea's commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of guests, crew, and the communities it visits as part of the company's healthy return to service.
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